Author Topic: Tired of Having to do Detective Work as a AirBNB guest?  (Read 4406 times)

fa

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Tired of Having to do Detective Work as a AirBNB guest?
« on: February 24, 2015, 10:19:44 PM »
We used to love AirBNB  but it has gotten to be quite a hassle lately.  You have to be a detective and research things in detail.  Sometimes the listing price is for only 1 person, with a huge supplement for a second person.  I have seen no mention of a huge supplement for linens and towels.  Would anyone NOT need linens and towels?  Then of course there is the sometimes insanely high "cleaning fee".  We have paid a high fee for basically a dirty place.  If I pay a lot to clean, I expect to find it in spotless condition.

I am really tired of having to investigate where the "catch" is.  I wish AirBNB would require some higher degree of standardization so that guests don't have to start looking for the catch.  Has anyone else noticed this?

mrshudson

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Re: Tired of Having to do Detective Work as a AirBNB guest?
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2015, 10:31:35 PM »
My gripe with Airbnb is the option for a basically no penalty cancellation by a host. Sure, they give you a little extra to cover the cost of finding another one, but the hassles made me seriously annoyed. I had two hosts cancel a reservation recently. The second host was actually a replacement for the first host who cancelled. And I'm a guest that has good reviews... wish they held their hosts to a higher standard when it came to cancellations (e.g., blocked for x months if hosts cancel y times within a z month period).

I have used Airbnb five trips so far, and had three cancellations by hosts that had to be rebooked. So far not over the top enthusiastic. The only reason I keep going back is to find places that have kitchen to cut down on eating out costs while traveling (plus, healthier food).

johnny847

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Re: Tired of Having to do Detective Work as a AirBNB guest?
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2015, 10:39:48 PM »
My gripe with Airbnb is the option for a basically no penalty cancellation by a host.
Wait what? I've never used Airbnb, only heard of it, but this is allowed? What the hell? How exactly can you make reliable travel plans?

totoro

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Re: Tired of Having to do Detective Work as a AirBNB guest?
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2015, 03:27:25 AM »
I've never had a problem either and I have zero difficulty understanding the charges. 

All the details are listed and easy to find - no special detective skills required imo.  If there is a fee for extra guests or cleaning it is listed.  If the fee is "insanely high" and you disagree with it don't book there.  You can always stay in a hotel instead.

I've found Airbnb to be good value myself. 

Blonde Lawyer

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Re: Tired of Having to do Detective Work as a AirBNB guest?
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2015, 11:58:11 AM »
It is fairly common in the house rental world to have a bring your own linens/towels clause.  There is usually an option for people flying in to rent them, but the cost is usually higher than a quick stop at Walmart and then you can donate them at the end of your stay.  I've only been driving to places that require bring your own linens and it has been easy enough to toss some sheets and towels in the car.

Eric

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Re: Tired of Having to do Detective Work as a AirBNB guest?
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2015, 05:28:45 PM »
I thought this post was going to be about this great new badass way you figured out that allowed the "detective work" to come easily.  We are in the Share Your Badassity section afterall.  Oh well. 

The AirBnB non-standardized listing doesn't bother me.  In fact, I'd say the opposite is true.  I like that there's no standard policy, as it makes it easier to find something that fits your needs.  I'm certainly not paying a $50 cleaning fee for a 1 or 2 night stay, so things like that make it helpful when narrowing your selections down.

mskyle

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Re: Tired of Having to do Detective Work as a AirBNB guest?
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2015, 07:43:56 AM »
I do wish there was a standard way to search for the price for the specific trip I'm interested in - like, I want to know the price for the two people for four days. I don't care how much of that is the cleaning fee and how much of that is the extra person fee, I just want to know the whole price! I stayed in two different AirBnBs on my last trip and it was irritating how sometimes a place that was $75 a night ended up costing more than a place that was $100 a night, but you can only search based on the per-night cost.